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For many Christians, Palm Sunday — the last Sunday celebration before Easter — is a tactile reminder of the season.

Churches distribute fresh palm leaves to congregants, folded in the shape of a cross to represent the palm leaves that were thrown before Jesus when he entered Jerusalem during the last week of his life.

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“We have invited folks to find a piece of greenery, or to make their own palms by tracing around their hands and colouring them green and sticking them to a wooden spoon while we sing our opening hymn,” said pastor Mary Ann Pastuck of McDougall United Church, who was live-streaming a service Sunday to an estimated 45 members of her congregation.

The cheerful experiment is just one way local religious communities are adapting to COVID-19. Across the city, at mosques, synagogues and churches, congregants are creating phone trees, using video conferencing, and live-streaming services.

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Over at Beth Shalom synagogue on Jasper Avenue, the daily services, and Friday commemorations of Shabbat, have been cancelled. Usually, the synagogue hosts a community Passover supper and service this coming week, but that’s been scrapped, too.

“The reason why that hurts is because a lot of people don’t really have the wherewithal to do their own seder,” said Rabbi Steven Schwarzman, referring to the rituals that surround the ceremonial dinner marking the first night or two nights of Passover. “Maybe they don’t have the economic ability for the special foods, the knowledge or the company.”

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But in the Jewish faith, said Schwarzman, community safety and wellbeing takes precedence over rituals.

“Obviously, we’re doing a massive pivot and it’s rather unprecedented,” he said.

These days, the focus is on reaching the 300 families who belong to the synagogue via phone, checking in to make sure everything is OK.

“I’m new since last summer, and this is a great way to get to know people,” said Schwarzman. “One of the nicest things about making these calls is that while I have yet to find anybody who needs anything, I have found lots of people volunteering to help people.”

A message from McDougall United Church greets passersby in downtown Edmonton. Ed Kaiser/PostmediaEd Kaiser/Postmedia

The phone has been valuable to connect with parish families at McDougall United, where the sign outside the church reads: ‘Hope will not be cancelled.’

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“People have a reinforced sense of isolation, particularly those who might lead very alone lives anyhow, and these are people of any age,” said Larry Derkach, chairman of the McDougall church council. “So people reaching out and talking to each other has been warmly received.

Though many religious buildings have closed, some are offering online support. A note on Gurdwara Millwoods Facebook page advises the faithful to stay home and pray. At Al Rashid mosque, Friday prayers are cancelled, though there is a regular live-stream talk delivered several days a week on Facebook.

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The talk, says Al Rashid communications director Noor Al-henedy, is by an imam or other leader and can be on topics such as physical and mental health during COVID-19. The mosque continues to provide burial service for the Islamic community, carefully constructed to follow health and government guidelines.

Al Rashid has partnered withIslamic Relief Canada to deliver care kits to seniors and vulnerable citizens both inside and outside the Muslim community. Anyone who needs help is welcome to contact the mosque at 780-451-6694, or engage through Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

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“We are asking people to visit one at a time, for confession, and it varies parish to parish,” said Turchansky. “The situation continues to evolve.”

A number of parishes in the archdiocese are live-streaming masses, including St. Joseph’s Basilica, where Archbishop Richard Smith is conducting mass on Sundays, as well as during Easter week, with the help of a videographer and a few officiants, including an organist.

“They are used to speaking to people, and they love their people,” said Turchansky. “Instead, they are speaking to a camera or a cellphone. But the more they do it, the more they are getting used to it.”

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Turchansky says churches are noticing a reduction in income as the collection plate is no longer being piled with cash on Sunday. The archdiocese is looking at temporary layoffs in office staff, and job losses in parishes are also a possibility.

“Most of our parishes are setting up online giving,” she said. “A lot of people are losing their jobs and they have to cut costs and giving to charities, including the church, might have to stop.”

What’s your COVID story? How have you been dealing with the sudden change in daily life following the outbreak? We want to hear from you — at home, at work, behind the lines. Contact us atedm-feedback@postmedia.com

Get a roundup of the latest COVID-19 information and analysis with our daily newsletters from theEdmonton Journaland theEdmonton Sun. Every day at 7 p.m., we’ll send you a recap of the day’s top stories and features to help you make sense of the ever-changing crisis.

Share this Story: Powerful messages of support spread across faiths as COVID-19 forges new connections

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